NFL: New England Patriots' production lacking in red zone

You can point your finger at many things when trying to figure out why the Patriots have lost two of their first three games. But leaving points on the field is as good a place as any.

There aren’t many stats Bill Belichick considers pertinent. Wins and losses and points scored and allowed top the list. Then come turnover differential, third-down execution and play in the red zone.

Scoring touchdowns when the offense moves inside the 20-yard line has been a strong suit of the Patriots during the Tom Brady-Belichick era. This year, not so much.

The Patriots are 6 for 12, their 50 percent success rate tied for 16th in the league with noted offensive stumblers and bumblers Arizona, Oakland and Tampa Bay. By comparison, they ranked second (65.3) last year and fourth (62.7) in 2010.

“(The) reason why we’ve lost these last two games is because we’re kicking field goals,” Brady said. “If you start scoring touchdowns in those situations, then — you know, those are four-point swings every time you have to kick a field goal.”

The Patriots were 2 for 4 in the red zone in their season-opening win over the Titans, the misses resulting in Stephen Gostkowski kicking 3-pointers of 25 yards and 31 yards in the fourth quarter. No one noticed because they led by double digits at the time.

But the last two games, a two-point loss to the Cardinals and a one-point loss to the Ravens shows just how imperative it is to depart with seven points after entering the red zone.

The Patriots were 1 for 3 against the Cardinals. The whiffs resulted in a pair of field goal attempts, one that was good and the other, with the game’s outcome on the line, that was wide left.

They were 3 for 5 against the Ravens, but the two that got away — successful field goals of 37 and 20 yards — were costly. The Patriots left eight points on a field they walked off as a one-point loser.

“When you get in the red zone, you always want to score touchdowns,” offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said. “That’s our goal. We only go out there for one reason on offense, and that’s to try to score seven points every time we possess the ball. Unfortunately, we had a couple situations there where we didn’t.”

The Ravens denied the Patriots a touchdown in the first instance when safety Ed Reed made a tremendous play, breaking up a pass to Julian Edelman in the end zone midway through the first quarter. The ensuing field goal made it 3-0.

Then, late in the third quarter, the Patriots found themselves with a first-and-goal at the Baltimore 4. Runs by Stevan Ridley (minus-4) and Danny Woodhead (0) killed the drive, which ended with a field goal to push the advantage to 30-21 early in the fourth.

Of course, there are a few factors working against any offense in the red zone.

“It’s tighter down there,” Belichick explained. “The defenders don’t have anywhere to go. There are more of them closer to the line of scrimmage. It’s easier for them to blitz, easier for them to disguise, less space to cover on all the above. It’s tighter quarters, it all happens quicker.”

Less space for the offense, and less time for the defense. All the plays happen faster,” Belichick added. “A lot of times the running plays hit quicker, they’re designed to hit into the hole quicker. The passes hit quicker, there’s less of the normal rhythm and timing that you see out on the field because of the space involved.

“Those are adjustments the defense has to make too, from a timing standpoint. It’s less area on paper, but the actual in-game execution of it is quicker and different.”

‘The National Forgotten League’

If you’re looking to do some in-season reading, you won’t be disappointed in “The National Forgotten League: Entertaining Stories and Observations from Pro Football’s First 50 Years.” The book, which is set to be published tomorrow, has been receiving positive reviews, which isn’t surprising considering its author. Dan Daly was an all-star basketball player at Gardner High (class of ’72) who has since made his mark covering football. Daly worked for the T&G and Arizona Republic before landing at the Washington Times, where he has been since 1982. Daly previously co-authored “The Pro Football Chronicle,” a decade-by-decade look at the game which also garnered strong reviews. … The Patriots signed offensive lineman Matt Tennant last night. Tennant was with the team earlier this month after being cut by the Saints. … Congratulations are in order for Tonya Spagnuolo . The Grafton resident and sister-in-law of Saints defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo finished second in her age group (40-44), 11th out of 227 women and 85th out of 656 participants in a triathlon earlier this month in Sandusky, Ohio. It took her 2 hours, 39 minutes, 16 seconds to swim 1,500 meters, bike 25.68 miles and run 4.2 miles. … And best of luck to Mary Jo Alving of Berlin via Lancaster as she embarks on the half-marathon portion of the Smuttynose Rockfest this morning in Hampton, N.H. This big-time Patriots fan and longtime friend started running and stopped smoking (mostly) this year, showing even an old Deadhead can learn new tricks. Quick hits, useful numbers Some quick hits and (hopefully) useful numbers with regard to this week’s games: The Falcons have won seven of the past nine meetings against the Panthers, including by 8 and 14 points last season. Matt Ryan is 4-0 versus Carolina. … The Lions have won three straight against the Vikings, by 7, 3 and 6 points. Minnesota won the six meetings prior to that.… The Titans are 2-2 in their last four trips to Houston. Three of the games were decided by three points or less. … The Chiefs and Chargers split last season, both teams winning at home by a field goal. … The 49ers, who are at the Jets, are 3-0 following a loss under coach Jim Harbaugh . … The Seahawks have won 13 of the past 14 meetings with the Rams, including the last six by 10-plus points. … The Cardinals have won seven straight at home. The Dolphins have won two of their past nine road games. … The Bengals return to Jacksonville, where they defeated the Jaguars, 30-20, last season. … The Raiders are 4-1 in their last five trips to Denver. The loss was by a field goal in overtime. Combined point totals of the last four meetings: 73, 62, 43, 62. … The Eagles have won seven of the past eight meetings with the Giants. The loss came in Philadelphia last season.

Teams on the bye: Indianapolis, Pittsburgh.

Some random thoughts in no particular order:

•The integrity of the game (officiating, concussions) has nothing to do with the popularity of the game (fans, rating numbers). No one likes a car crash, but everyone can’t help but watch when they drive by one. Same with the NFL.

•The AFC is so weak this year I wouldn’t be surprised if the second wild card went to an 8-8 team.

•Put me with the conspiracy theorists who believe Wes Welker was being punished for some reason in the first two games.

His sentence fulfilled, look for Welker to remain an integral part of the offense upon the return of Aaron Hernandez and Julian Edelman.

•In April, I picked the Red Sox to go 88-74 and finish out of the playoffs. That’s good for half credit.

Material used in this report was collected from personal interviews, wire services, websites, and league and team sources. Rich Garven can be reached by email at rich.garven@verizon.net or rgarven@telegram.com.

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